The BBC and I are no longer as close as we once were. First there was that whole homeopathy thing, and now they’re threatening to kill off 6 Music. Mark Thompson, Director-General of the BBC and all round twat has been steadily decreasing the cultural value of the once-proud institution, and now he is recommending the closure of 6 music and the Asian Network by the end of 2011.
For the last 6 months or so I have been listening to podcasts of some of the finest new music, and classic, iconic songs from people that actually understand music. Radio 1 is at best an infuriating alternative and at worst a festuring turd polished up and sold to you as popular music. You’re not 3008, I won’t poke your face and it’s definately not Bonkaas, it’s shit. FACT.
The report states: “Given the strength of its popular music radio offering from Radio 1 and 2 and the opportunity to increase the distinctiveness of Radio 2, the BBC has concluded that the most effective and efficient way to deliver popular music on radio is to focus investment on these core networks.” I tend to agree more with Eddie Argos; “The record buying public shouldn’t be voting.”
Surely the whole point in championing new, independant, music is precisely that it isn’t yet popular since the record labels hosting the talent can’t afford the publicity and air time for a radio 1 heavy rotation that seems to go hand in hand with chart success. Some songs I’m not going to like despite how many times you play it, ok. I think the RATM thing over Christmas showed that there IS a musical revolution happening, sick of Scowell’s chokehold on our music, and this is why 6 music is so important.
Luckily the gallows are not on the horizon (metaphorically and musically) for 6 Music just yet and there is plenty we can do to help save it:
- Listen to it. Pretty obvious really but some estimates already suggest thet the listening audience has already doubled since the news first broke. If you can listen to it through the iPlayer, even better, as this is one of the key measures of the stations success
- Sign the petition to BBC Chief Sir Michael Lyons.
- Use 36 Degrees’ template to contact the BBC trust
- Email your thoughts to :-
srconsultation@bbc.co.uk
michael.lyons@bbc.co.uk
richard.tait@bbc.co.uk
jeremy.peat@bbc.co.uk
mehmuda.mian@bbc.co.uk
david.liddiment@bbc.co.uk
janet.lewis-jones@bbc.co.uk
rotha.johnston@bbc.co.uk
patricia.hodgson@bbc.co.uk
alison.hastings@bbc.co.uk
anthony.fry@bbc.co.uk
diane.coyle@bbc.co.uk
chitra.bharucha@bbc.co.uk
trust.enquiries@bbc.co.uk
And if none of this works?
Turn off your radio…
Stuporcollider 
This is truly a crime against radio. Having listened to it on a daily basis for the past few years it is a welcome fresh breeze through my head. Is the reason for me hating mainstream music because I am getting older or because of mainstream TV having such an influence? I just don’t know.
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My problem with mainstream music is that it is all so derivative. Has anyone seen Lady Gaga and Madonna circa 11990 in the same room… Or read the articles in Heat saying how they wish they were as big as the spice girls, who were a well marketed version of Kenickie.
And yet the state of British music is really healthy at the moment, and as culture is probably one of our top exports it seems odd that a decision to stifle our talent would be made.
The upside is it really isn’t too late to save 6 music, as the decision has to be ratified by the BBc trust. I would urge everyone who cares about music to just do one thing off of that list above.
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